Mutombo Honored, Rockets Move To 2nd

 

This was a game that, on paper, the Rockets should win. The Minnesota Timberwolves have only mustered 18 wins the entire season, so needless to say the Rockets were the heavy favorites to win. The game was a little closer than Rockets fans might have liked, at least this Rocket fan. Through the 1st half the Rockets only showed flashes of what needed to be done. Either the defense was clicking and the offense wasn’t or vice versa. Halftime brought about a tribute to Dikembe Mutombo for all of his charitable works thoughout the years, including opening a new hospital in the Republic of Congo.

I said to myself after halftime that the Rockets would come out and put the Wolves away, but it didn’t happen until the 4th quarter. T-Mac seemingly flipped a switch and went on a hot streak and ended up with 23 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists. McGrady peered at Alston as he missed the last shot that would’ve given Tracy a triple-double. The final score was Houston 97, Minnesota 86. With all the games played last night the Rockets moved into 2nd in the West.

Adelman Reaches 800th Win, Rockets Back In 3rd

Rick Adelman reaches a milestone in his career Monday night when the Rockets defeated the Kings 108-100. Only 13 other coaches have been able to reach this goal in the history of the NBA. Rick Adelman coached in Portland, Sacremento, and now Houston. With the Western Conference being as close as it is the Rockets were able to move ahead back into 3rd just behind the Lakers and Hornets. Rafer Alston lead the way for Houston in scoring for the second time in 3 games. Alston ended with a game high 28 points, 5 assists, and 2 steals. McGrady was quiet for the majority of the game however in the 4th quarter Mutombo pulled Tracy aside and spoke inspiration in his ears. T-Mac responded by stepping up in the 4th quarter and began to hit some key shots down the stretch.

Everyone that played for the Rockets last night had at least 6 points. Although the Kings managed more team assists the Rockets won the battle on the boards. Not a real flashy game but the Rockets took care of a team they were expected to beat. It’s a good thing too because with 7 road games and 4 home games remaining the Rockets need the best seed possible. On a side note the Dallas Mavericks can now sympathize with the Rockets a little after Dirk went down Sunday while playing the Spurs. Dirk was originally expected to miss 2 weeks but after having the doctors look at the injury no time table has been officially put out on his return. Dirk is expected to be back for the playoffs if Dallas, now the 7th seed, can hold onto a playoff spot in his absence. Hate to see it happen to any player but the Rockets had to deal with losing their star player so let’s see if the Mavericks can hold down the fort.

Hornets, Bonzi Sting Rockets

The Rockets dropped their second game in a row and unfortunately Houston is feeling the sting. After being tied 59-59 going into the 4th quarter the Rockets ran out of gas and could only muster a pathetic 10 points in the final 12 minutes. The Hornets however dropped more in the 4th quarter than the Rockets did the entire second half. That was for the most part to the credit of former Rocket Bonzi Wells who scored 20 of this 25 in the 4th resulting in a 90-69 victory for New Orleans.

All the Rockets starters were in double digit scoring but it wasn’t enough. Tracy McGrady was a non-factor once again setting the tone for the rest of the team and only 15 points. Hey T-Mac how about you at least make a point for every million your making this season if you’re not going to get your season average of 22. Where did the Rockets bench go? Did they travel with the team to New Orleans? They only contributed 6 points, in comparison Mutombo added 10.

The team gets a day to rest but had to leave New Orleans last night and fly to San Fransisco. Friday brings Golden State (42-25) followed by Saturday and Phoenix (46-22). The Rockets, now 46-22, fell out of the top spot and down to 3rd in the conference. While there is a 3.5 game difference between us and the Warriors we are currently tied with the Suns. If the Rockets cannot figure out a way to turn things around they might find themselves in one of the bottom seeds, erasing the progress the tough fought streak brought them.

It Takes The NBA’s Best To End The Rockets Streak

“All good things must come to an end” Tracy McGrady told the Houston Chronicle after Tuesday nights defeat. In a battle between the top teams from both conferences the Celtics ended both the 22 game winning streak as well as the 15 game winning streak at home. Nothing should be taken away from these Rockets. They have managed to do something great that few teams in the history of the NBA ever did and credit is due to everyone in the organization. The front office for putting this team together, the coaches for keeping the players focused, and of course the players themselves for executing and buckling down in the face of adversity.

Unfortunately after such hard work there is still no time to rest. The Rockets currently hold the top spot in the West but the Lakers share our record and there are plenty of teams ready to see us slide in the standings. What’s scary is that after 48 days of hard work to push to the top of the brutal Western conference Houston could quickly find itself right where they started in a matter of days. Tonights game against the New Orleans Hornets is probably the Rockets most important game of the week. Head Coach Rick Adelman has said since the streak hit the late teens that he knew this team would eventually loose a game, what he was looking forward to is how the team would respond.

I’m looking forward to that as well Coach. I’m glad that the players can so easily shake off the comments made by the “main stream media” but I as a fan cannot be as forgiving. It seemed to me that Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley waited until the streak was ended to really give the Rockets credit and even then it seemed forced. I take comfort in the fact that it’s just their opinions and they are entitled to their own, no matter how wrong it may be. These so called ‘main stream media’ people overloaded the Rockets bandwagon and caused it to tip. I’d be willing to bet that at least half of the people that gave the Rockets even a LITTLE credit are running for the hills now. It just frustrates me to hear Houston get little to no credit for what they are doing this season.

Rockets ‘Skip’ Past Lakers, Lead West

It seems like injuries are everywhere this year. The final showdown between the Houston Rockets and the L.A. Lakers would be no different as Pau Gasol (Bynum) and Yao Ming were missing from the action Sunday night. The Rockets have finally gotten the attention of the ‘main stream media’ and Sundays game was proof as the game was moved to an earlier time slot and was shown on ABC. With the injuries listed above all eyes and ears were focused on T-Mac and Kobe Bryant. In recent games past McGrady has often been the leading scorer in the Rockets victories but not this time. In fact he wasn’t even 2nd or 3rd, he was 5th behind Battier and Scola with only 11 points. With McGrady in the defensive cross hairs Rafer Alston and Bobby Jackson did what was expected of them, … hit the open shots. And boy did they! The duo combined for a whopping 50 points, Rafer with career high 31 and Jackson with a solid 19.

So if you would’ve told me that the Houston Rockets were going to be up by 15 at the half and that T-Mac would have ZERO points I would’ve asked you to put down what you are smoking. As it turns out Houston’s defense, in particular Shane Battier, were stellar. Battier was tasked with the simple job to hold Kobe Bryant and although Bryant had 24 points he was only 11-33 from the field. But hats off to Rafer and Jackson for offensively carrying this team in a crucial game against a division rival.

Now the stage is set for Tuesday night when the Rockets will play the Boston Celtics. Both teams are #1 in their respective conferences so this will be another test for Houston as they rewrite the NBA history book

Rockets Set History But Remain Grounded

Tracy McGrady showed last night that he is, without doubt, the team leader. Not that there was ever a question in the mind of true Rockets fans but the idea was reinforced. Once again T-Mac led all scorers and ended with 30 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists but even more impressive was the fact that McGrady played the entire game, 48 minutes!

The stage is set for Sundays game against the Lakers and as it turns out the winner will be atop the Western conference. Many people have been marking this game on the calendar because it should be a true test of the Rockets skill. With Pau Gasol out with a sprained ankle if Houston wins now the haters will give themselves an excuse to doubt, just as they did when we beat Dallas without Dirk and New Orleans without West. I don’t understand how some sports ‘analysts’ refuse to give credit where it’s due simply because the Rockets opponent is missing a key player. Maybe they’ve forgotten so soon that Houston is Yao-less but I suppose the rules don’t bend that way for the Rockets.

No matter, with or without Gasol the Lakers are still a threat because of another player you may have heard of, Kobe Bryant. Matter of fact now with Gasol out of the way the focus can be shifted back to T-Mac vs Kobe, which should better suit Houston. Why? Because right now the Rockets are chock full of role players. The entire team has been stepping up over the course of this streak, not just T-Mac. I haven’t really been following Laker basketball lately but if Battier can contain Bryant and put the pressure on the other Lakers to make shots the Rockets could come out on top. That’s a very big if however and it’s easier said than done. Either way after Sundays game we will have a clear cut leader in the West.

McGrady Lifts Rockets Into NBA History

It wasn’t pretty but it counted. The as-of-late hot Rockets shot only 33% from the field making only 30 of 90 shot attempts. Despite the lackluster offense the Rockets defense held true sending them into NBA history for becoming the third team to win 20 games in row. So while the win streak continues the streak of beating opponents by double digits comes to an end as the final score was 83-75.

Although this was will be considered an “ugly” victory I think it was good for the Rockets to be challenged. That’s not to say that their previous 19 games were all cake walks but considering that the last 11 games were double digit wins it was nice to be reminded that the Rockets could still wrap up close games in the 4th quarter. It should also reinforce the team slogan of “play hard, stay humble”. I think we will see a return to the much more focused and efficient players Friday night against the Bobcats.

Speaking of returns how about Tracy McGrady? As a true Rocket fan I would certainly love to see T-Mac receive an MVP award however I can see how some are reluctant to give him serious consideration, especially seeing what Kobe and Lebron are doing this season. What I don’t understand is how people like Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith can criticize McGrady and say that he’s not the leader of the team and that he doesn’t make his teammates better. As I’ve mentioned before Tracy continues to do what is needed for the Houston Rockets to succeed, whether it’s scoring 41 or frequently dishing 9 assists. Or like he did tonight by contributing 21 second half points to a struggling Houston offense.

Luis Scola got some love over at ESPN.com in the rookie rankings. With the Spurs losing tonight 100-75 to the Hornets the Rockets move to the #2 spot in the West. Houston still remains 1 game behind the L.A. Lakers for the conference top-dog title which should make Sundays game that much more meaningful. Put it this way, if the playoffs started today that 1 game difference between the Lakers and Rockets would be the difference between facing the Warriors(8) or the Mavs(7). First things first though. Take care of business Friday night against Charlotte and get any kinks out of their system as they will have to be on point come Sunday.

A New #1?

The Houston Rockets continue the season’s hottest winning streak and move to #1 in power rankings over at ESPN.com! With defeating conference rivals Dallas on Thursday and then New Orleans on Saturday the Rockets have finally made up some ground in the tough western conference and currently sit at 3rd 1 game behind the (new) conference leader, the San Antonio Spurs.

Not much has changed in Houston’s game plan as they continue to implement 1st year Rockets coach Rick Adelman’s high octane offense. For the past few games McGrady has been the leading scorer of the team, whether it’s 19 points or 41. The Rockets have also had 20+ total team assists over the last few games. As a result they are also setting records for most consecutive double digit wins, meaning that they beat their opponents by at least double digits in the past 11 games.

Monday night saw the Rockets easily dispatch the unfocused New Jersey Nets extending the winning streak to 19. I’ll take this time to point out that the Miami Heat have won 18 games ALL SEASON. One thing was different for the Rockets is that Rookie sensation Carl Landry wasn’t playing. He sat out with a bruised knee, mostly as a precaution and to ensure that Landry would be good to go for the post season push, however sportsradio610 mentioned that Landry didn’t travel with the team to Atlanta. Houston faces the Atlanta Hawks Wednesday, Charlotte Bobcats Friday, before facing the L.A. Lakers on Sunday. Tracy McGrady was recently named the Western Conference’s Player of The Week!

Play Hard. Stay Humble.

“Play Hard. Stay Humble” said Tracy McGrady, ” that’s what’s up in the locker room right now.” And the Rockets did just that. They played hard indeed as they convincingly beat the Dallas Mavericks Thursday night 113-98. Once again the Houston Rockets defeated their opponent with a mixture of tremendous defense and unselfish offense. McGrady led all scorers with 31 points and 9 assists followed once again by Rafer Alston who added 24 points of his own! The two rookies playing their roles at almost perfection got a recent bump in the Rookie Rankings over at NBA.com and tonight you can see why. Luis Scola had 12 points, 9 boards, and 2 blocked shots and Carl Landry sprinkled in 17 points.

A tough loss for the Mavericks but a great win none the less. There will be those haters out there that will say “Dallas didn’t have Dirk, Rockets still suck” to which I would reply “Yao Ming’s foot is healing nicely, but he didn’t clobber another player to miss his game”. Something you need to know is that I’m a Texas fan, if you’re from Texas you probably know what I mean. This applies to sports as well. I will always root for the Houston team followed by other Texas teams. What this means is that I like the Dallas Mavericks and was cheering for them against Miami in the 2006 Finals but Dirk deserved this suspension. I’ll go one step further and even say that I despise the Utah Jazz so the fact that ‘AK Crybaby’ got thrown to the floor doesn’t really bother me.

Bottom line is that the Houston Rockets continue to be the hottest team in the NBA. If the Rockets can beat their next opponent (New Orleans Saturday night) then this 17 game streak could reach the low 20’s due to Houston’s upcoming schedule. After New Orleans it’s the Nets, Hawks, and Bobcats before facing the Lakers March 16th. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, like T-Mac said play hard, stay humble.

Rockets Extend Win Streak To 16, Set New Franchise Record!

This is going to be a short post because the Houston Rockets also have a game tonight against the division rival Dallas Mavericks. The Rockets easily beat the Indiana Pacers last night 117-99 setting a new franchise record for wins in a row, currently at 16. In the past 12 of 16 games there have been 5 (or more) players in double digit scoring. Still not impressed? How about this… the Rockets have beat 15 of the 16 teams by a point margin of 6+ points. Tracy McGrady once again led all scorers with 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists while the Houston bench added a whopping 49 points. Chuk Hayes, who started for the Rockets at the beginning of the season, provided a much welcomed boost off the bench with 9 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocked shots. Rafer Alston continued to be an efficient point guard and dished out a game high 7 assists while managing to add 21 points.

The Rockets are 40-20 right now and have a half game lead over the Phoenix Suns putting them in the 5th spot in the tough Western Conference. Houston will look to extend their winning streak tonight as the face off against the “Dirk-less” Dallas Mavericks. So far this season the Rockets have not been able to defeat the Mavs and they’ve played twice.

Also found a little Carl Landry love over at ESPN.com, peep game.